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7 | HOW THE MEDIA HAS FAILED WOMEN 8 | UN ENVOY TO MEET SYRIA RIVALS
The judgment said Tarique was acquitted from charges because he had mentioned the amount in his wealth submitted to the ACC
ACC sources said the commission got the information on his current position after scrutinising his travel documents. The allegations against the judge are amassing illegal wealth, abusing judicial power, earning huge wealth contradictory to his known source of income and amassing movable and immovable property in his and others names, the ACC Commissioner M Shahabuddin said. The ACC imposed a bar on foreign trips of the former judge. But the judge had left the country before the ACC restricted his departure from the country. According to ACC document, the judges son studies in London. Motahar bought a house in London. He also bought two apartments in Dhanmondi and has a lot of land in his village Natore.
A year has passed since the Tazreen Fashions blaze. A victim brings her seven-month-old son to join a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday, demanding compensation for the affected families MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
Field admin in acute crisis of manpower n Mohosinul Karim and Rabiul Islam
Field administration in the districts across the country has been struggling hard for a long time to serve people due to severe shortage of senior officials. Many posts of senior assistant commissioner and assistant commissioner (land) at the deputy commissioners (DC) offices have been lying vacant for a long time. Officials say they cannot conduct drives against adulteration and illegal establishments because of the lack of adequate manpower.
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INSIDE
News
3 A Dhaka court yesterday deferred for the eighth time the proceedings in a case filed for attempted murder of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the prosecution could not produce the last witness before the court.
Business
B1 Import expenditure grew marginally in the political unrest-hit year of 2013, bouncing back from a negative growth in the previous year, due to increased imports of capital machinery and food items.
Nation
6 At least 300 bighas of land are losing topsoil every year, which is being used to manufacture bricks at 31 brick kiln fields in five upazilas under the district.
International
9 Indian police have arrested 13 people over the gang-rape of a 20-year-old woman, who was allegedly assaulted on the orders of tribal elders, police said Thursday.
Op-Ed
Entertainment
12 Suchitra Sen in her own words: I had a good friendship with Uttam Kumar, a deep one.
attacks in various districts including Jessore, Dinajpur and Gaibandha, the official added. Following the 2001 post-poll violence, a three-member judicial commission comprising M Shahabuddin (president), former deputy secretary of home ministry Monowar Hossain Akhand and former additional DIG Mir Shahidul Islam (now DIG police), was formed on December 27, 2009 to probe the violence. Although three months were given to complete the investigation, the commission worked on it for one year and three months. We handed over the probe report to the then former home minister Sahara
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TEN TRUCK ARMS HAUL CASE
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
A man is being treated at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital yesterday. The man, who is a gateman at Rajshahi University, received the injuries after miscreants blasted crude bombs near the universitys Binotpur gate during first year admission tests in the morning DHAKA TRIBUNE
38 Bangladeshis killed along border Nazmus Sakib in 2013: BGB chief n The High Court yesterday granted bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zias adOur Correspondent, Jessore n viser and Vice-Chairman of Bangladesh
The director general of Border Guard Bangladesh yesterday said at least 38 Bangladeshis were killed last year along the countrys frontier with India. Major General Aziz Ahmed revealed the information at a press conference held at the Jessore headquarters of 26 BGB Battalion. The border chief also said the BGB was constructing around 65 tin-shed buildings at Malopara in Abhaynagar, including two in Monirampur, where two women were raped recently. The structures are expected to be completed by mid-March, he added. l Bar Council Khandker Mahbub Hossain in a case for instigating violence and obstructing police in performing their duties. In response to a bail plea, an HC bench comprising Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmed passed the order. The bench issued a rule asking the
Tribune Report
Unidentified miscreants damaged seven idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses in Barisal and Sylhet yesterday. In Barisal, four idols of a Hindu temple located at the Maddhya Rajarchar area of Charmonai union was damaged sometime before the dawn. Bijoy Krishna Haldar, president of Maddhya Rajarchar Durga-Kali Mandir, said he found the idols of Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh partially damaged when he went to the temple early in the morning. Police were informed of the matter but no case was filed until yesterday evening. Meanwhile, miscreants vandalised three Hindu idols in two temples in Sylhet, the first temple located in the divisional city while the second in Dakshin Surma upazila. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police Md Ayub said police were trying to nab the individuals responsible for the attacks. l
The independent candidates can also get shares in case of forming an alliance. We have formed the group to maintain a discipline in the House. We will collectively push issues of public importance, Rustom Ali Forazi, a former BNP lawmaker, told the Dhaka Tribune. The independent MPs have freedom to praise or condemn the government. So, we will support the government for good works and oppose for bad decisions, he said. Quamrul Ashraf, having no significant political background, said the group would put its efforts to serve as an opposition in parliament. But, he said, it would praise the government, too, for its people-oriented moves. In the first parliament of 1973, at least five MPs tried to form an opposition group against the Awami League government that won 287 seats out of the total 300 seats. Its leader Ataur Rahman Khan of Bangladesh Jatiya League demanded recognition as the opposition leader. But according to the announcement of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made on April 12, 1973, at least 10 MPs, be it independent or belonging to any party, could constitute an opposition grouping in parliament. l
Khatun on April 24, 2011, Member Secretary AKM Monowar Hossain Akhand told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. The complete report comprises five pieces having a total of 1100 pages. We prepared the report visiting around 35 to 40 districts. The judicial body during its probe into the 2001 post-poll violence received 5,571 allegations of killing, rape, arson and looting by activists of the then ruling BNP Jamaat alliance and it took into account 3,125 allegations, Chief of the Commission M Shahabuddin Chuppu said. During the probe, we found a total of 355 politically motivated murders while 3,270 incidents of rape, arson, looting and other atrocities, he said. The commission also found the involvement of some BNP and Jamaat leaders in the attacks on minorities and oppression on Awami League workers after the parliamentary polls in 2001. Shahabuddin said the names of BNP leaders Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, former home minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Abdul Wadud, Joynal Abedin (known as VP Joynal of Feni), Nadim Mostafa, HM Selim of Bagerhat, Maulana Shakhawat Hossain of Keshabpur in Jessore, Abdus Sobhan of Pabna, Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu, Hafiz Ibrahim and Zahir Uddin Swapan were mentioned in the report. Jamaat leaders Matiur Rahman Nizami, Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher of Comilla and Delwar Hossain Sayedee were among the leaders who
led the atrocities on minority people and AL workers, he added. We recommended bringing the people involved in post-poll violence in 2001 under trial, filling cases against the accused and restoring the cases withdrawn on political consideration, and providing compensation to the victims of political attacks, the member secretary said. He also said the judicial commission also suggested forming short-term investigation committees or investigation commissions at district level involving additional district magistrate, additional police and an executive magistrate to probe the incidents of political violence and attacks on minority, and setting up a monitoring cell at the home ministry to coordinator the tasks of the probe bodies. If the recommendation of the report was implemented, the incidents of attacks on minority might decrease, the chief of the commission noted. Asked about the steps by the home ministry, additional secretary Kamal Uddin Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune that the law ministry was taking steps. Meanwhile, the High Court on Wednesday ordered the home secretary to submit within February 2 the judicial probe report into the attacks that were carried out on the minorities and the then opposition members following the eighth parliamentary elections on October 1, 2001. The court also issued a rule seeking an explanation by two weeks as to why it should not direct the government to make public the inquiry report. l
Usually, the officials have to spend a lot of time to provide protocol to ministers, state ministers and persons with equal status visiting the areas. According to the officials at DC offices, people suffer the most on the issues related to land. The public administration ministry says against 1,800 posts of senior assistant secretaries, as many as 1,434 are working now. In the field administration, more 700 to 800 assistant secretaries (assistant commissioners) are required to deliver services properly as only 1,091 have been working, said officials. We deliver various services including mutation of land, settlement of fallow land and other land-related problems, an assistant commissioner (land), known as AC Land, under Bari-
sal division said yesterday seeking anonymity. A huge number of posts of AC Land have been lying vacant for long all over the country. As a result, the people are deceived a lot, the official told the Dhaka Tribune over phone. For example, a senior official at the field administration explains, every DC office has an allocation of five to six senior assistant commissioners. Unfortunately, a single officer has to do everything now, which is very difficult. According to the ministry, a total of 146 posts of AC Land out of 487 are now lying vacant. Out of the 146 posts, 11 are vacant in Dhaka division, 38 in Chittagong, 15 in Rajshahi, 28 in Rangpur, 22 in Barisal, 11 in Sylhet and 21 in Khulna division. The land ministry gives appointment in the AC Land post.
In Narail DC office, there are nine posts of assistant commissioners. Now seven assistant commissioners are working there. But three officers would leave the office soon for training. As a result, four officers will have to do the day-to-day jobs of nine. Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Deputy Commissioner Abdul Gaffar Khan said: We are working hard to deliver services to the people. A UNO from Kishoreganj district said they could not conduct drives because of the shortage of officers. Senior Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder of public administration ministry is aware of the situation. We have nothing to do unless new officers are appointed. We are working on it, he told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. Things would change when the officers, currently in training, join work, he said. l
the election, Hasina said, adding that BNP Jamaat people had attacked citizens including the minorities simply because they had dared to vote. She added: The BNP leader had said the people did not cast their votes, but why did she attack those who went to polling centre? Hasina warned of stern actions against the perpetrators of the postpoll violence, saying: The government will not allow any kind of killing, violence or militancy. Necessary measures will be taken against those who engage in such activities. She added: The government will ensure the security of the people.
She also accused Khaleda of telling lies and claimed that after changing her own and her husbands birthdays, the BNP chief had also changed the date of the poll to May 5 from January 5. The prime minister further criticized Khaleda for her controversial comments about Gopalgonj district. She is angry at Gopalgonj being the birth place of the father of the nation Bangabangdhu, she said. Apparently hinting at Khaleda, Hasina also said the BNP chairperson had missed the election train. Golapi re Golapi, you have missed the train; Golapi is now not in the train, she said. State Ministers Narayan Chandra
Chando, Asaduzzaman Khan, Biren Sikder, local MP Ranjit Kumar Roy, MP of Jessore 3 constituency Kazi Nabil Ahmed also addressed the rally, which was presided over by Ali Reza Razu, president of the ALs Jessore district unit. During her visit to the district yesterday, the premier also met with the victims of the attacks on the minority community in Malopara of Obhoynagar upazila, and handed Tk20,000 to Tk1 lakh to each of the victimised families. She also gave a cheque of Tk10 lakh to the family of Jubo League leader Alamgir Hossain Shimul, who was killed during the blockade by the opposition alliance. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Members of the Alliance against bT Brinjal form a human chain at the capitals Shahbagh yesterday, demanding a stop to the production of the genetically engineered vegetable as it poses risk to public health and the environment RAJIB DHAR
Police stand guard outside the gates of Baitul Mukarram Mosque in the capital yesterday afternoon, following Jamaat-e-Islamis announcement to bring out processions RAJIB DHAR
n Mohammad Zakaria
The Election Commission has decided to deploy army Border Guard Bangladesh, Coast Guard, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB and police as striking and mobile forces in the upazila poll. However, officials of different intelligence agencies told the EC that they saw no possibility of violence in the upazila parishad polls as candidates of all political parties will join the election race. Army was deployed for five days in the third upazila parishads polls. The commission will this time
deploy 14 security personnel at each polling centre. But 15 lawmen will be posted at each vulnerable centre while 17 at each centre of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Haor areas. The EC held a meeting with principle staff officer of the Armed Forced Division, representatives of law enforcing agencies, intelligence agencies yesterday on the upazila parishads polls. A senior EC official who was present at the meeting said members of intelligence agencies assured of violence-free upazila polls. The armed forces (Army and Navy) will remain deployed for five days from February 17 to 21 as striking force as the first phase of the polls to 102 upazila parishads will be held on February 19, the official said.
The second phase polls to 117 upazila parishads will be held on February 27, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddih Ahmad yesterday announced. Electorates will elect their chairmen, vice-chairmen and vice-chairmen for the reserved seats for women in the upazila parishad polls. The last date of filing nomination is February 2 and the nomination will be scrutinised on February 4 while the last day of withdrawing nomination is February 11. As the commission has a bad experience with the violence-infested parliamentary polls it has decided to deploy army in the upazila polls, he said.
When asked about whether union parishad chairman, mayor of municipality and upazila parishads could participate in the polls without resigning their posts the CEC said they could but they could not use any facilities of local administration during the polls. However, EC officials said the commission had decided to hold polls to 74 upazila parishads on March 15, 72 upazilas on March 25, 65 upazilas on March 31 and 57 upazila parishads on May 3. Polls to four upazila parishads were postponed as the local government and rural development ministry decided to re-fix the demarcation of Rangpur sadar, Kaunia, Gangachar and Pirgacha upazila parishads. l
Justice Shahinur Islam then asked the defence counsel whether he admitted that Kashem had been in Chittagong until November 6. The defence counsel replied in the affirmative. On November 18, formal trial against the Jamaat executive council member, also key financier of the party, began with the prosecutions opening statement. Kashem is facing 14 counts of crimes against humanity committed in Chittagong during the 1971 Liberation War. l
4
n Mohammad Jamil Khan
The first phase of Bishwa Ijtema, the second largest Muslim congregation after the Hajj, begins today on the eastern bank of Turag under an intensive, five-tier security arrangement. Lakhs of Muslim devotees from around the world have already arrived at the venue to participate in the threeday event which will conclude with a Final Prayer (Akheri Munajat) on Sunday, only to follow another three days of preaching starting on January 31. Like previous years, the event will feature sermons on fundamental issues of Islam, group supplications and recitations from the holy Quran. Devotees from 32 districts are joining the first phase of Ijtema while those from the remaining 32 districts will join the concluding phase. Organisers say all preparations have been taken to ensure that the event is held smoothly and without any disruption, with the help of 5,000 volunteers working for the past few weeks to prepare the ground for the accommodation of the devotees. All utilities and safety matters have been taken care of, they said, with the assistance of public service organisations and law enforcement agencies. The whole 160-acre land will be kept under 24-hour surveillance by over 12,000 security officials both uniformed and plainclothes prepared with helicopters, closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) and aerials. Each tier of security will be supervised by an assistant superintendent of police. Security officials have been monitoring the ground since January 18 and they will remain in operation till February 3, said Abdul Baten, Gazipurs superintendent of police. Besides, 12 mobile courts will examine the quality of food sold and 50 medical camps will provide emergency
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Scores of devotees gather at the banks of Turag River yesterday to take part in the Biswa Ijtema which is set to start today medical services. In order to expand the medical coverage of the 50-bed Tongi general hospital, 50 more beds have been added while regular leaves of all doctors, joined by doctors from 17 districts of the Dhaka division, have been cancelled. The organisers have built 4,000 makeshift toilets across the ground as well as a two-storey lavatory for foreign nationals, with arrangements for regular electricity and water supply. In this regard, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, director of water supply division of Tongi, said about 70 gallons of water would be provided through 13 deep tube-wells installed in the ground. This year, organisers are expecting a large turnout of participants from as many as 100 countries including China, USA, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UK. MA Mannan, mayor of Gazipur city corporation, told the Dhaka Tribune
that he had given necessary instructions to all departments involved to perform their tasks properly. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority have arranged special train and bus services to carry the visitors to and from the venue. l
n Tribune Report
Manusher Jonno Foundation, in cooperation with the government, published the National Labour Policy 2012. Copy of the policy along with the English version was handed over to the government yesterday. Executive Director of the foundation Shaheen Anam handed over a copy of the policy to State Minister for Labour and Employment Md Mujibul Haque (Chunnu) at the conference room of the ministry at the secretariat yesterday, says a press release. l
WEATHER
PKSF Chairman Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad speaks at a discussion meeting at the National Press Club yesterday
PRAYER TIMES
Fajar Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha 5:24am 6:42am 12:10am 4:02pm 5:38pm 6:57pm
Source: IslamicFinder.org
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
NASHIRUL ISLAM
move illegal distribution networks. Even sometimes my officials were assaulted, he said. He said the company had filed cases and GDs with relevant police stations against households with illegal distribution lines. All the stations have been asked to conduct drives to spot and dismantle illegal distribution networks in different city areas, he said. The Titas MD said he had transferred several employees for their suspected involvement in laying out of illegal networks and setting up illegal connections to households. l
n Tribune Report
Environmental activists have demanded immediate steps from the government to reduce dust and air pollution across the country. The demands came from a human chain, jointly organised by Poribesh Bachao Andolon and Bangladesh Centre for Human Rights and Development, in front of the National Press Club in the capital yesterday. Speakers at the human chain claimed dust particles in the air have been causing various types of diseases, such as lung cancer, bronchitis, breathing problem, asthma and tuberculosis by entering into human bodies through the nostrils. The worst victims of the dust pollution are children, patients and senior citizens, they added. Apart from reducing dust pollution, the activists also demanded regular cleaning of roads and footpaths, removal of soil deposits after digging up roads for repairing utility services and an end to dumping construction materials on public places. They emphasised on proper waste management in the city and urged city corporations to be more careful while collecting and transporting garbage. l
Activists of Poribesh Bachao Andolan, wearing dust masks, form a human chain in front of Institute of Fine Arts in Shahbagh yesterday, demanding mandatory steps in curbing dust pollution RAJIB DHAR
ZUBAIR MURDER
6
Two robbers lynched in Noakhali
n Our Correspondent, Noakhali
Two suspected robbers were killed by a mob at Sonadia under Hatiya upazila, Noakhali in the early hours of yesterday. The deceased were Haque Saheb, 32, and Mahabubul Alam Madhu, 30. Syed Md Fazle Rabbi, officer-incharge of Hatiya police station, said a gang of robbers had come by the area known as Hilton Market. Sensing their presence, locals surrounded the robbers and managed to catch two of them. The locals subjected them to battery, in which both Haque and Mahbub died on the spot. Upon being informed, police came by the spot and recovered the bodies before sending them to Noakhali Medical College Hospital for autopsy. The OC said Haque Saheb had been accused in seven cases, which include murder, rape and robbery, while Mahabubul Alam Madhu was accused in two. A case was filed in this connection with Hatiya police station. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Nation
Industrial usage wearing away fertility, authorities look the other way
n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat
At least 300 bighas of land are losing topsoil every year, which is being used to manufacture bricks at 31 brick kiln fields in five upazilas under the district. Farmers are sometimes lured by the brick kiln owners into selling the surface layer of their farmlands soil which ultimately hits production. The Agriculture Department in the district is yet to take any steps to save the farmland from the clutches of brick kilns owners. Many agriculture officials alleged that they ceased to take action against the owners because of their political and economic power. Agriculture officials, brick-manufacturing labourers and local farmers said the topsoil of nine to 10 bighas of land were necessary to manufacture about 10 to 12 lakh bricks. They said at first, the brick kiln owners collected topsoil from the neighbouring farmland surrounding the brick kiln areas in the locality by tempting them into selling the upper layer of their land; sometimes they even used force. Jibon Chandra Saha, manager of a local brick kiln at Madonerchak village in Lalmonirhat Sadar, said the owners purchased the topsoil of onebigha farmland between Tk6,000 and Tk12,000 from the farmers. A brick kiln owner bought topsoil of nine to 10 bighas of farmland every year, he said. Kashem Ali, 60, a farmer at Bamonerbasa village of Kaliganj upazila, said he was forced to sell topsoil of his two bighas of farmland to a local brick kiln owner this year. Like me, all other farmers in the village are losing topsoil of their farmland every year, he said, adding that he sold topsoil of one-bigha farmland for Tk8,000 only. Another farmer Nazrul Islam said: I know topsoil is very important for cropland, but I had no way but comply with their demands to save my land. Farmers Jamal Uddin, Mansur Ali, Abdul Jabbar, Meher Ali, Sultan Miah and others in the village in Lalmonirhat Sadar said the brick kiln owners cashed in on the topsoil purchase by digging out the surface layer of soil at least two feet in depth. It was not possible for us now to get 50% output, and ultimately the fertility of farmland is being lost, they said. I got about 40 maunds of paddy from two bighas of farmland three years ago, but the production has declined by 50% as I sold the topsoil to a local brick kiln owner, said farmer Farhadul Islam in Doljor village under Aditmari upazila. Contacted, ASB Brick Kiln owner Sahidul Islam at Bamonerbasa village under Kaliganj upazila said they knew the topsoil was very fertile for producing crops, but the farmers sold that to them. We never face any protest from the Agriculture Department for using the topsoil in our brick kilns, he said, denying the allegations that the farmers were forced to sell the topsoil of their land. Agriculture and Environment Coordinator Mamunur Rashid of an NGO, RDRS, said the use of topsoil for brick manufacturing badly hit crop output. He called upon the authorities concerned for immediate steps to stop digging out the surface layer of soil. Admitting that the topsoil is used in the kilns, Deputy Director Abdul Mazid of the Agriculture Extension Department said he would take necessary steps with the help of district administration to save the farmland from being barren. l
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Apparently, in case of women, certain articles of clothing pose a bigger threat than firearms. This sign was outside the entrance of a church in Georgia
BIGSTOCK
ise and shine. Feminism is the air. Body positivity, body image, female empowerment, sexism, objectification, and misogyny are some words that seem to be continually flung around on laminated gold papers, like fiery shuriken hurling through the air. All these terms and their meanings are nicely lumped into one video that has been stampeding the Internet since the beginning of December last year How the Media Has Failed Women in 2013. Here, we see glimpses of female figures ranging from Malala Yousafzai to Sandra Bullock to Hillary Clinton to Miley Cyrus to Rachel Maddow to Rihanna, some portraying positive representation and some negative,
What is questionable is the indication that the media directors are the sole perpetuators of certain social constructs in the media
with the common themes of positivity being intelligence, talent, leadership and achievement, and the common themes of negativity being body exposure, sexualisation, rape culture perpetuation, and methodic snide mocking, which is in effect bullying, from male peers. No one will argue the intentionality of the media in presenting information in such ways as to create and inculcate in viewers certain social constructs, and no one will argue the collective failure of eliminating rape culture and the societal disadvantages of women, but what is questionable is the indication that the media directors are the sole perpetuators of these constructs in the media. Such an indication, when extended to include women exposing their bodies or sexualising themselves, assumes a lack of agency on the womans part and adopts the view that she is an unknowing victim of exploitation, or assumes a lack of intelligence on her part and adopts the view that she is an unknowing victim of societal indoctrination, catering to hegemonic cis-male privilege. How is this sheep-like view of women any better than however the
media is portraying them? Women, like the pop artists referenced in the video, are highly successful in their careers and are talented musicians as well as creative performers, irrespective of whether or not their style can be reconciled with ones artistic preferences. So are they really being exploited or are they turning it around and exploiting that very exploitation of women, to their own advantage? A huge issue is the dated notion of correlating self-respect and dignity with attire (or lack thereof). If self-presentation is the issue, and if pop artists like Rihanna and Miley Cyrus are coerced products of a culture that fetishizes hyper-sexualization, who will reasonably argue that those women who wear a hijab or burkha are any less coerced into their decision by the cultures relevant to them? Women face presentational pressures from both sides of the spectrum. Today, if I go out wearing a niqab, Im a product of religious oppression. The day after, if I go out wearing a short skirt, Im a slut. There is no escape. On a clothing-style scale of 1 to 10, we have to shrink and squeeze ourselves somewhere in the range of 4 to 6; trespassing beyond that in either direction would put us women in dangerous territory. Also, by definition a slut is a female who engages in sexual relations indiscriminately. Even if we were to naively assume that ones wardrobe spells out ones sexual lifestyle, so what if a woman did have multiple sexual relations? Since which stage of evolution is sexuality exclusively male domain? Sociologically speaking, and in the words of Anthony Giddens, sexuality and relationships in the post-modern world are apparently governed by confluent love, a liberal and contingent romantic construct that had come to be under pressures of female sexual emancipation and autonomy. Why is it then that when a man has many sexual experiences, those are seen as conquests and he is perceived as a player, and a woman with similar tendencies still gets the label of slut or some other derogatory term, not only by men but also by other women. To give a little personal anecdote, I have been schooled in supposedly the best private school in Dhaka and the tasteless sexism I have witnessed, and also personally experienced from both the authorities and my peers, in the latter years of my time there, had generated in me a raging disgust that had entirely masked the earlier happy memories and left me with avoidant tendencies. I was called in and shamed, my parents were called in and blatantly lied to. Two of the least caustic (and filtered) examples of two different authorities dialogues: Youre the girl. Youre the one society will always point to. Youre a very intelligent lady and we have high expectations of you, and not just academically. I hope you will not disappoint us, and If there
werent these distractions like yourself, he could have done something very big by now. The former persons approach focuses on me and eloquently informs me that if I dont conform to their idea of standard female behaviour, there can be repercussions. The latter persons approach, skilfully and wonderfully articulates her view that I am holding back Da Man. Technically, we were both students of the school, but I had been dehumanised and reduced to a mere object, an object of distraction for the male student. There is good reason I limited the second quotation to just one sentence, and dont feel comfortable sharing the rest of what was said. Needless to say, these were references to a relationship I was in at the time. Needless to say, I was the villain. Needless to say, the boy was never called in. No I did not sexually assault him whenever I saw him. I did not otherwise distract him with my rampant sexuality whenever I saw him either. All I did was talk to him that too conversations I dont recall ever initiating myself, considering I was very aware that every little nuance in my movements and sneezes were being observed. In other words, all I did was exist and that was criminal enough to warrant systematic humiliation. It wasnt just me, although with lesser frequency and vigor, there were also other girls who were monitored and, when the perceived need be, spoken to. Such is the hypocrisy of elitist private schools that claim themselves to be liberal and progressive. I have grown up in a culture that religiously and systematically teaches
All I did was exist and that was criminal enough to warrant systematic humiliation
only difference is that one is fighting against it and rejecting it (but is denounced as encouraging it), and the other is hiding from it as protection (and is denounced as accommodating to it). Like many others, all my life, I had the constant awareness of this condition at the back of my head, this condition of being female, and once and for all I would like to start dressing and behaving according to my own set of ideals and my own aesthetic sense without thinking of how male-dominated the world is and how my choice of dressing will be perceived to relate to that. What is it about the sight of the female body that sets off so many cues of threat? Why is it that one form of exposure is acceptable but another isnt? It is clearly not that the very idea of exposure is unacceptable. Here is
While one half of the feminist world is screaming about body positivity and denouncing obligatory covering up, the other half is equating being classy to not exposing our bodies
women to keep themselves in check; a fitted top, gym shorts, or even the slightest slip of my dupatta would attract the gaze of five hundred rickshawalas and condemnation by five hundred relatives. While one half of the feminist world is screaming about body positivity and denouncing obligatory covering up, the other half is equating being classy to not exposing our bodies. The irony lies in that both have male objectification in mind; the
where the wild hypocrisy lies, the hypocrisy of art, the hypocrisy of being. Nudity and sexuality are acceptable only when presented within a certain framework, authenticated by a certain context, therefore only when it appeals to a certain kind of aesthetic. Brooke Candys partial nudity is inacceptable, but Kate Winslets nudity in Titanic is beautiful. Silk Smithas semi-nudity is profane, but Vidya Balans semi-nudity while depicting that same Silk Smitha merits her multiple
international awards. Anne Hathways nudity in Havoc is acting, but Rihannas raunchiness is classless. Natalie Portmans nudity in Hotel Chevalier is art, but Miley Cyrus bawdiness means she is letting the music industry pimp her into the world of stylised pornography and glamorous prostitution. Then there are classic nude portraits that have been hailed throughout history Albert Moores A Summer Night, Albrecht Drurers Adam and Eve, and of course Michael Angelos David. By virtue of the fact that nudity and sexuality are represented in art form, they must have some sort of perceived beauty. But that beauty is criminalised when it is those very things of which those art forms are a representation, us, our bodies, that are presented similarly. What is it about dynamic visual representation that threatens peoples sense of social structure? It is socially acceptable to talk about nudity and sex (but then again only in conditioned settings), to write about nudity and sex (but then again only in moderated language), to privately engage in sexual activities (but then again only in traditionally accepted styles and circumstances), but it is not at all acceptable to be publicly sexual or claim sexuality. My disapproval of this schism between action and representation, and the double standard of propriety is valid only in so far as the action isnt inherently nasty or ugly. I am not saying, for example, that just because we defecate, we should also celebrate feces and glorify them in visual representations. But there is nothing inherently nasty about the human body and sexuality. So yes, we have talked about the double standard of the media, we have talked about how it has failed women. Now lets talk about the double standard of feminist groups and the double standard of every woman, every man and everyone else of all other gender identities that perpetuate body-shaming and sexuality-shaming culture. l The author is a student of Clinical Psychology and Literary Arts at Sarah Lawrence College and Bristol University.
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AFRICA
DHAKA TRIBUNE
International
UN expert: CAR risks spiralling into genocide S Sudan seeks peace deal
Adama Dieng warns of high risk of crimes against humanity and of genocide n Agencies
The UN chiefs special adviser on genocide preventionhas warned of a high risk of crimes against humanity and of genocide in the Central African Republic. Adama Dieng and other UN officials briefed the Security Council on Wednesday on the continuing and unprecedented violence between Christians and Muslims in the country. More than half the countrys 4.6m people need assistance, according to the UN, and nearly onem have fled their homes after mostly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in a March coup detat that ousted former President Francois Bozize. Christian self-defence groups known as anti-balaka (anti-machete) have taken up arms against them, and the UN estimates that retaliatory violence has claimed thousands of lives. The officials spoke of children being beheaded, entire villages burned and a complete breakdown of law and order, and they urged the deployment of more peacekeepers as soon as possible. The level of hatred between these communities shocked me, Dieng said, listing widespread reports of summary executions, mutilation and sexual violence among the widespread and massive human rights violations. Restoring peace will be difficult without addressing the current culture of impunity, he added. Dieng and the other officials spoke EUROPE
South Sudans government and rebels are expected to sign a peace deal later Thursday aimed at ending the monthold conflict in the worlds newest nation, mediators said. There is going to be a signing ceremony... by the South Sudanese parties at 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) today, mediators from the regional bloc IGAD said in a statement. Fighting broke out between rival army units in the capital Juba on December 15, with President Salva Kiir accusing his sacked deputy Riek
Machar of attempting a coup. The conflict quickly deteriorated into all-out war between the regular army, who are being backed by Ugandan troops, and defectors and ethnic militia, with the violence also pitting Kiirs Dinka tribe against Machars Nuer group. The peace deal presented by IGAD mediators is expected to cover a ceasefire agreement and address the issue of 11 detainees close to Machar who were arrested after the fighting started. Aid workers and analysts say the conflict has left up to 10,000 dead, while around half am people have fled their homes. l
Iran president says elections best solution for Syria n AFP, Davos
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Thursday that elections would be the best way of ending the civil war in Syria and warned the West it could not impose a political solution on Tehrans neighbour and ally. Speaking as fledgling Syrian peace talks entered a second day on the other side of Switzerland, Rouhani told the World Economic Forum that the Syrian people should be allowed to decide their own destiny. The best solution is to organise free and fair elections inside Syria, Rouhani told the World Economic Forum in Davos. No outside party or power should decide for the Syrian people and Syria as a country. Describing a conflict that has been raging for nearly three years as a major catastrophe, Rouhani said Iran was deeply concerned by the influx of foreign fighters he described as terrorists into Syria. Millions of innocent people have been killed, maimed or made homeless - it is a miserable situation and very sad, Rouhani said. All of us should work together to push terrorists out of Syria and advise the countries who support them that this is not their own best interests - their next stop will be their own countries. l
UN Arab League envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi (L) walks behind UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon prior to a press conference closing the Geneva II peace talks AFP press conference at the talks in the Swiss town of Montreux on Wednesday. Enough is enough, the time has to come to negotiate. Ban also told reporters that he had urged the Syrian government to release detainees as a confidence-building measure. Even if the sides are willing to talk about limited confidence-building measures, expectations for the peace process remain low, with an overall solution to the three-year war still far off. Russia, which co-sponsored the Montreux meeting with the United States, said the rival Syrian delegations had promised to sit down on Friday for talks which were expected to last about seven days. About 40 nations and international bodies were gathered, but no direct talks are expected until possibly Friday when opposition and regime delegations will meet in Geneva for negotiations that officials have said could last seven to 10 days. l
IN OTHER NEWS
HK tycoon doubles bounty to marry off gay daughter
A Hong Kong tycoon may double a marriage bounty to find a male suitor for his gay daughter to US$130m, despite his initial offer attracting 20,000 candidates, a report said. Two years ago, wealthy property developer Cecil Chao made global headlines by offering a reward of HK$500m ($65m) to any man who could persuade daughter Gigi to marry. He is now considering increasing his offer, a report in a Malaysian financial publication said. The 77-year-old tycoon hinted this figure could be doubled (to HK $1bn) if someone could capture her heart, The Edge said. I dont want to interfere with my daughters private life. I only hope for her to have a good marriage and children as well as inherit my business, Chao told the publication. But this fresh attempt at a financial sweetener for any man who can win Gigis heart has left her upset and her female partner of nine years Sean Eav distraught, the South China Morning Post said. I dont think my dads offering of any amount of money would be able to attract a man I would find attractive, the 33-year-old daughter told the Hong Kong newspaper. I would be happy to befriend any man willing to donate huge amounts of money to my charity Faith in Love, provided they dont mind that I already have a wife. Third and lastly, thank you Daddy, I love you too, she said. Gigi is reported to have married Eav in a ceremony in France in 2012, though samesex marriages are not recognised in Hong Kong. Chaos initial dowry offer issued the same year attracted 20,000 responses from around the world but failed to change Gigis mind.
n Agencies
The US military has eased restrictions on religious tattoos, hairstyles or apparel that troops can display while in uniform, as long as they do not jeopardise unit cohesion. The Pentagon said on Wednesday the rules it unveiled marked the first time the agency had laid out a general policy on the issue. The new policy states that military departments will accommodate religious requests of service members unless they have an adverse effect on military readiness, mission accomplishment, unit cohesion, and good
order and discipline, spokesman Lieutenant Commander Nate Christensen said in a statement. As long as a units mission is not put at risk or its safety jeopardised, the regulations would allow an exception to standard cleancut grooming standards on religious grounds, including facial hair or other hairstyles, tattoos and piercings that reflect a soldiers spiritual faith. However, certain apparel or other expressions of religious faith would not be permitted if it interferes with the wear or proper function of special or protective clothing or equipment, such as helmets, flak jackets or flight suits, Christensen said. l
A leading Azerbaijani gays rights activist killed himself after writing in an online suicide note that he could not go on living in this country and this world, police said on Thursday. Isa Shakhmarli, 20, chairman of Azerbaijan Free LGBT, a Baku-based gay rights advocacy group, was found dead on Wednesday after reportedly hanging himself using the rainbow-coloured flag of the gay pride movement. We received a call from his loved ones reporting a suicide, a police spokesman for the Yasamal district of Baku told AFP. Police officers found his body at the scene. An investigation into the suicide is being carried out, the police said. Homosexuality is stigmatised in the mainly Muslim but officially secular former Soviet country. Many gays and lesbians say they experience routine harassment and attacks and are shunned by friends and family after coming out. In an emotional farewell note, Shakhmarli asked friends to let his mother know he loved her and said that he had left the door to his flat open. I am leaving. Forgive me for everything. This country and this world are not for me, Shakhmarli wrote in a message to friends on the social networking site Facebook. You are all guilty for my death. This world cannot handle my true colours. Goodbye, the message said. A video posted onto an Internet news site showed medics at the scene trying, and failing to resuscitate Shakhmarli as friends wept in the background. A torn rainbow flag can be seen hanging from the ceiling. Vugar Adigozalov, a close friend and former colleague of Shakhmarli at the gay rights organisation, told AFP that his family had difficulty accepting his sexuality.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
International
Indian police have arrested 13 people over the gang-rape of a 20-year-old woman, who was allegedly assaulted on the orders of tribal elders, police said Thursday. The attack on Tuesday took place in a remote village in West Bengal state where the unmarried woman from the Santhal tribal group was suspected of a relationship with a Muslim man from a neighbouring village. The elders, who comprise the informal village council, initially imposed a fine of 25,000 rupees (400 dollars) on her family, but they were unable to pay, district police superintendent C. Sudhakar told AFP. The girl was gang-raped for having an affair with a youth of another community and failing to pay the fine which was imposed by the village council, he said. All 13 men, including the chief of the village council, who were named in
ASIA
Suspects in a gang-rape case are led by police to a district courthouse in Birdhum district near the village of Subalpur, some 240 kilometres west of Kolkata AFP
n AFP, Quetta
Thousands demonstrated in cities across Pakistan on Thursday against the killing of 24 Shia Muslim pilgrims in a bomb attack, as their relatives refused to bury their bodies in a powerful gesture of protest. The roadside blast on Tuesday hit a bus around 60 kilometres (40 miles) west of Quetta, the capital of south-western Baluchistan province, which has been the focus of growing sectarian violence in Pakistan.Up to 2,000 people, most of them Shias, demonstrated on Quettas busy Alamdar Road with the bodies of the bombing victims, refusing to bury them until action is taken against militants. There were also demonstrations in Karachi and the Punjab cities of Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi, against what protesters called the genocide of Pakistani Shias. Members of Quettas Hazara ethnic community, which is largely Shia, began their protest on Wednesday and braved freezing temperatures to spend the night in the open. They say they will not bury the victims bodies until a military operation wipes out militants and their sanctuaries from the outskirts of Quetta and nearby Mastung district, where Tuesdays attack happened. l
Marrying outside the caste often brings deadly retribution in parts of India
REUTERS
Abe sees World War One echoes in Japan-China tensions n Reuters, Tokyo
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said Japan and China should avoid repeating the past mistakes of Britain and Germany, which fought in World War One despite their deep economic ties, according to his main government spokesman in Tokyo. Abe was speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday. His comments were provided by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga after the Financial Times said Abe had told reporters that China and Japan were in a similar situation to Britain and Germany before 1914, whose close economic ties had not prevented the conflict. He also said Chinas steady rise in military spending was a major source of regional instability, the newspaper reported. Suga said earlier in the day that Abes comments should by no means be interpreted to mean that war between the two Asian giants was possible, noting that Abe had said dialogue and the rule of law, not armed forces and threats, were needed for peace and prosperity in Asia. Sino-Japanese ties, long plagued by what Beijing sees as Japans failure to atone for its occupation of parts of China in the 1930s and 1940s, have worsened recently due to a territorial row, Tokyos mistrust of Beijings military buildup and Abes December visit to a shrine that critics say glorifies Japans wartime past. Suga told a news conference that Abe - noting that this year is the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One - said Britain and Germany clashed despite their deep economic ties. Asked if China and Japan might clash militarily, Abe replied that such a conflict would be a great loss not only for Japan and China but for the world and we need to make sure such a thing would not happen, according to Suga. l
Thailands Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra gestures as she leaves the Royal Thai Air Force Headquarters, after a cabinet meeting in Bangkok REUTERS onstrators, though the capital has been relatively calm this week. Broadly, the conflict pits the Bangkok middle class and royalist establishment against the mainly poorer supporters of Yingluck and her brother, ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled by the military in 2006. Nine people have been killed in outbursts of violence, including two grenade attacks in Bangkok last weekend. A leading pro-government activist was shot and wounded on Wednesday in Thailands northeast, a stronghold of the Shinawatra family, in what police said may have been a political attack, adding to fears the violence could spread. A ruling in favour of the Election Commission would deepen Thailands political quagmire, already weighing on investor enthusiasm for Southeast
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Editorial
LETTER OF THE DAY
Letters to
the Editor
Muslim-Hindu relations
n her address to BNP supporters on Monday, Khaleda Zia made some inflammatory comments about the recent joint forces drive against militant activity. We deplore those of her remarks that question the professionalism of the armed services and law enforcers. It is wrong to portray legal law enforcement actions as an attack on the people. The BNP chairperson has every right to criticise the government and question its decisions. However, it was poor judgment on her part if she had meant to imply some truth in the strongly denied reports of the involvement of foreign forces on Bangladeshi territory. As a former prime minister and respected political leader, we would expect the BNP leader to take more care when referring to disputed rumors in her political rhetoric. She should have at the very least acknowledged the tenuous nature of these rumours and the fact that the Inquilab newspaper has apologised for the way in which it reported on them. Hence, while we are very clear in our view that the government is wrong to have closed Inquilab and that journalists should not be locked up for mistaken reports, we are critical of Khaleda Zias choice of words. They draw attention away from recent positive moves by the BNP to proffer an olive branch and encourage those in the government that clamour for punitive action against political views with which they disagree. We hope that a return to calmer words by all sides will help ensure a healthy atmosphere for dialogue.
We would expect the BNP leader to take more care when referring to disputed rumors
January 21 During the liberation war, I was a child, and have very few memories of that time. We lived in a village near Padma River, not far from Kushtia town. Some family members, including Hindus from Kushtia town, stayed in our house for a number of days. We also helped many members of Hindu families in our village and in adjacent villages, including holding goods for them. My father gained their faith by doing honest business and other activities with them. Many of them went to India, and when they came back, got back their goods from my father. After the war, my father felt insecure staying in the village, so he bought a house in Kushtia town from a Hindu family. That family went to India but whenever they returned, they met with our family. Our house was close to the main road, and many of our neighbours were Hindus. All of us lived there for a long time, like one family. Times for our neighbours have gone downhill since, which is why I find recent events extremely disturbing. For instance, several incidents of mayhem occurred during the AL-led government, in which many of the victims were Hindus and minorities. Locals said they had called police, ruling Awami League leaders, and the administration, on their mobile phones but nobody came to help. Police were seen after 9:00pm, when it was all over. Mawduda Hasnin
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t is a deeply troubling sign for law and order that two accused in the attack against Awami League MP Asaduzzaman Noor have by now been found dead. The attack on Asaduzzaman Noor on December 14, which left five people dead, including four local AL men, was an outrageous act of aggression by Jamaat activists and its student wing, Islami Chattra Shibir, which was carried out with the tacit support of the BNP. The incident sparked widespread outrage from the local community and local politicians of both AL and BNP denounced the attack. Unfortunately, it seems that BNP activists who were accused of the attack on Asaduzzaman Noor are now being murdered in retribution, almost certainly either by law enforcement or those affiliated with the ruling party. Every person accused of a crime deserves to have his day in court and be punished according to the due process of law. Extrajudicial killings of this sort only satisfy short-term desire for revenge at the cost of long-term deterioration of the rule of law. Action is now needed from the government to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack on Noor are brought to justice instead of facing assassinations outside of the purview of the law. Similarly, the people responsible for these assassinations should be also held responsible and punished according to the law. The AL leadership also has the duty to denounce these criminal acts, deter their cadres from further acts of violence, and to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies to ensure that justice is served.
Every person accused of a crime deserves to have his day in court and be punished according to the due process of law
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Op-Ed
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people, women and children in particular of southwestern Bangladesh, a joint and collective effort both from the government and NGOs is urgently needed . Governments through Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) and Directorate of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) can play a catalyst role, and should understand their roles and responsibilities in ensuring safe drinking water in this locality.
n Mohammad Alamgir
Dooming ourselves?
n Ekram Kabir
omething must be seriously wrong in our understanding of our nation. We always seem to fail to realise our own good. Otherwise, why are we so passionately involved in destroying ourselves and our surroundings? A survey on the water quality of Buriganga showed inadequate presence of dissolved oxygen to support the existence of fish and other living organisms. The study also revealed that the presence of intoxicants in its water is higher than the level suitable for living organisms. The study came up with dreadful results. This, again, as we have been warned about this river several times in the past, is alarming news for us. If we look at other rivers, almost all of them are dying, and several of them are being grabbed. Recently, the parliament was told that about a third of the countrys rivers are almost dead. One of our 310 rivers is completely dead, while 97 are drying up. This piece of information is unbearable. The remaining 212 rivers are still navigable. The reasons behind the sorry state of the rivers are already known to us. Illegal filling, and the dumping of industrial, human, and other types of waste, often with tacit approval of the authorities, resulted in narrowing rivers, canals, and other water bodies. A Buet survey on Dhakas wetland says if the encroachment continues
at the current pace, all wetlands will disappear by 2035. The picture would be quite similar in all the towns and cities of the country. This shows that were failing to save ourselves in terms of our surroundings. Were also failing to realise that we humans wont survive if the environment doesnt. We couldnt stop river-grabbing as well as the destruction of the remaining trees and forests.
On its part, theres a clear lack of political commitment about this issue. The government has ceased to remain persistent on this greater national issue. Then came the news of the felling of trees across the country during the recent political crisis. Felling trees in the name of raising political movement hasnt been taken care of. Apart from that, reports in the media said
There will be a time, when we come to our senses, when we wont be able to rectify the damage we are committing now
Yes, there is a reason why rivers are drying up the lack of water flow from the upper stream. But that doesnt mean we must build human settlements whenever there are dry land surfaces on the rivers. The governments announcement to save the rivers following the High Courts directives did create some hype, but at the end of the day, no one followed the directives. The government officials, according to reports, are also not shouldering their responsibility in order to either implement the law, or bring the culprits to justice.
at least 1,100 trees were felled in one night, the illegal felling of trees continued unabated in Bhawal Shal forest in Gazipur, and the administration in Kuakata was failing to prevent burglars from felling trees from the reserve forest. A year ago, the deputy commissioner of Kurigram and three others had to unconditionally apologise to the High Court for not taking action against those responsible for cutting trees on Char Bhurungamari High School premises. In 2011, the Netrakona Zila Pari-
shad and the forest department had reportedly defied a High Court order, chopping down century-old trees beside a road near the Baptist church in Birishiri. Well, these are just a few the tip of the iceberg incidents of tree-felling that we may have come to know about when the media was talking about them. And when the media talks about the suicidal acts of destroying trees, some weak actions are taken against these shocking feats. Sometimes, the court of law gives its verdict in order to prevent this self-destruction, but the process of implementation of the verdicts loses its way, mainly due to the lack of monitoring and sincerity. These show how our own greed has led us to our own impending downfall. There will be a time, when we come to our senses, when we wont be able to rectify the damage we are committing now. Therell be a point of no return. Isnt it time to think about the issue, and be serious about protecting the environment? The government as well as we citizens need to ask ourselves: What are we actually doing for saving the future the trees and the rivers? The dearth of trees and rivers would lead to the most dangerous crisis the food crisis. Remember, we have a big population in a tiny piece of land. l Ekram Kabir is Executive Editor of Natunbarta.com.
ome to approximately 160 million people, Bangladesh is struggling to sustain an adequate level of quality freshwater for the people. Unlike other waterscarce countries, Bangladesh is generously endowed with freshwater tributaries and distributaries that generally make for a healthy water ecosystem. However, flooding and coastal deterioration caused from climate change and water contaminations have resulted in a water crisis for the people, particularly for women and children of southwest Bangladesh. Salinity intrusion in coastal areas results in water getting contaminated. Worsening weather extremes that bring floods, storm surges and cyclones are also contributive to increased salinity. After the devastating cyclone Aila, which struck the Bangladesh southwestern coastal belt in May 2009, locals faced difficulties and suffered from insufficient drinking water, since the cyclone damaged most of the sources of fresh water. In the cyclone-affected areas, installation of tube wells turned out to be a tough job due to the alarming presence of salinity. An Oxfam report illustrates that approximately 34% of households still do not have access to safe drinking water in the cyclone-affected areas of southwest Bangladesh. Climate scientist Dr Ainun Nishat says salinity in the water of coastal areas has now reached over 20 parts per thousand. The human body can only tolerate five parts per thousand. People of the locality are suffering the most, particularly the women and children in collecting and utilising water. Women in coastal areas need to go miles to collect a pitcher of safe drinking water, which has been a nightmare for them in most cases. The acute scarcity of safe drinking water results in poor health, social stigma, and financial implications. People in this region suffer from various diseases caused by drinking water with a high level of salinity, impurity, or arsenic. Various skin diseases, intestinal diseases, dysentery, fever, and diarrhea are part of their life. Other health concerns linked to a lack of safe drinking water include malnutrition amongst women and children, reproductive problems for pregnant women, skin turning black, physical weakness, and anxiety. Women can be particularly susceptible to diseases (eg rickets), as they often drink less water than men. Several social crises associated with poor access to safe drinking water are resulting in the education of children being compromised. They are often left unattended when their mothers go to fetch water. A most alarming factor is that women are teased and harassed on their way to fetch water. Considering the acute scarcity, and in order to ensure safe drinking water as well as reduce the suffering of the
Through a collective effort, people can hope to get the amount of safe drinking water they need
The Union Parishad (UP), the lowest tier of Bangladeshs local government, should also be held responsible, since the local government representatives are mandated to work for the betterment of locals. But in reality, this institution lacks the capacity, appropriate knowledge, latest technology, and the ability to mobilise local resources to effectively deal with the problem. NGOs and other institutions should come forward for enhanced knowledge-sharing and active participation to hold the bearers of this duty accountable. They can increase and reinforce knowledge on climatic hazards on safe drinking water. Mass media can also play a vital role, and can help to create an enabling environment for behavioural changes, community mobilization, and social dialogue to heighten the sustainability of these changes at the grassroots. But this problem will not be addressed properly until the people who suffer most and are facing many odds, are involved with the initiative. They can help those responsible to be a hub of local knowledge and practices, as well as ensure that their voices are considered and being heard. A stronger and solid partnership can be of great help for the effective implementation of safe drinking water campaigns across government, media, and civil society organisations. Local organisations can play the role of a pressure group, and could facilitate local level dialogue and create awareness among locals. Through a collective effort and active involvement of all stakeholders, particularly the government, people can hope to get the amount of safe drinking water they need to live a peaceful and dignified life. l Mohammad Alamgir is a development communications professional.
n Maximilian Martin
he Awami League developed its Vision 2021 five years ago for Bangladesh as a middle-income country. This helped win the election. In 2012, the government then published a road map for how to get there. Over the past year, disquieting news has kept accumulating, however. An unopposed election on January 5 returned Sheikh Hasina to power the AL received more than two-thirds of the seats and was criticised as illegitimate by the BNP. No easing of the crisis is currently in sight. It is time to find ways to revive past optimism. The viability of the countrys key development asset and leading export earner, namely the textile and garment industry, will be instrumental. The Bangladesh economy has grown at nearly 6% per year in the past decade, and human development went hand-in-hand with economic growth. Coupled with increased life expectancy, literacy, and per capita food intake, poverty dropped by nearly a third and more than 15 million Bangladeshis have graduated from poverty since 1992. Multiple futures are possible for the country futures that matter to all of us, inside and outside of Bangladesh. We live in a highly interdependent globalised economy with interlaced information systems and security. At a time when al-Qaeda is reasserting itself in
the Iraq-Syrian borderlands, pressure on strategic yet fragile states such as Bangladesh can have serious repercussions also for its neighbours and other states halfway across the globe. The views on Bangladeshs potential vary widely. Some see it as a country whose developmental potential is blocked by political infighting and overstretched infrastructure, with business hindered by red tape, corruption, energy shortages and the ever-present risk of social unrest. Sustained growth in recent years has generated higher demand for electricity, transport, and telecommunication services. Insufficient planning and investment have now resulted in severe infrastructure deficits. Others, such as Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim ONeill, have argued that the densely populated and youthful country has the potential to become one of the worlds most vibrant economies. He includes Bangladesh in his Next Eleven group of countries that he expects to lead the next wave of high-growth economies. For Bangladesh to aspire to a bestcase scenario, it will need to increase GDP growth to 7.5 or 8% per year, via accelerated export and remittance growth with a corresponding increase in both public and private investment, and substantial efforts on many fronts. These include promoting inclusive growth, maintaining macroeconomic stability, strengthening revenue mobilisation, tackling urbanisation
challenges such as energy and infrastructure deficits, deepening financial-sector and external trade reforms, improving labour skills, economic governance, and urban management, and adapting to climate change. Bangladesh is among the most densely populated countries in the world, with 1,174 people per sq km according to the World Bank. A declining population growth rate combined with a rapidly growing labour force could be turned into a significant demographic dividend in the coming years if more and better jobs can be created for the growing number of job seekers. Improving labour force participation and productivity would help to further release the potential of the economy. The preferred future is reachable. For it to materialise, though, two things need to happen: Political risk needs to be managed, and the countrys key assets leveraged. Bangladeshs critical economic asset is its $22bn readymade garment export sector that accounts for 80% of exports. Further political unrest could do damage to the countrys economic growth engine, which is facing problems of its own. The dire working and safety conditions in Bangladeshs garment and textile industry were brought to global public attention in April 2013 when a garment factory collapsed in Dhaka, killing more than 1,100 workers. The apparel industry creates 4 million direct
jobs, but working conditions and environmental footprints are often terrible. Attempts to address the social and environmental issues plaguing the apparel industry in Bangladesh are being made the European buyer-funded Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety and the US buyer led Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety are just two highly visible efforts underway that have now become operational. Through its booming apparel industry, Bangladesh is directly connected to Western and Asian consumer markets. How the industrys future plays out will help decide whether Bangladesh can seize the potential of its youthful population and move onto a BRIC-like country trajectory, or whether the country will stagnate and even risk becoming a failed state. The growth projections for the apparel industry in Bangladesh are impressive: It is expected to double in turnover by 2015 from 2010 levels, and triple by 2020. But labour rights, wage levels, and health and safety are the leading social issues that need to be sorted out. Today, there are more than 5,600 factories producing for export. If we simply extrapolate on the trend, there could be more than 10 million workers and over 10,000 factories by 2020, unless significant factory consolidation takes place. If nothing happens, we could see Rana Plaza type accidents happen more often.
This tragic scenario must be avoided. Attaining greater productivity and achieving better in-country value added will be essential to rendering enhanced social and environmental conditions. Upgrading the supply chain is the way forward, with greater supply chain transparency and higher total resource productivity as a result.
use, including water and energy, nor on their end-of-pipe treatment of used air and water waste. They often lack in-house knowledge and capacity to manage all relevant data dimensions. But the effort is worth it. Improving the economic competitiveness and environmental and social performance of the countrys apparel industry can
The stakes have never been higher. The goal is to get Bangladesh back on the best-case track. The political parties now have to do their share
To show how this can be done, Impact Economy a global impact investment and strategy firm has just issued my report, Creating Sustainable Apparel Value Chains, so industry stakeholders can begin to build toward a preferred future. Redesigning production processes, improving infrastructure, and training can save up to 20% of chemical inputs, up to 40% of energy, and up to 50% of water. The report offers a framework that links greater resource productivity with an ambitious agenda to improve working conditions and environmental footprints. A challenge is that companies often have no reliable data on their resource
play an enabling role in creating the context on which a middle-income future can be built. The stakes have never been higher. The goal is to get Bangladesh back on the best-case track. The political parties now have to do their share to provide a stable and legitimate operating environment so that a more competitive, and socially and environmentally sounder, garment sector can make its contribution to development. l Maximilian Martin is the Founder and Global Managing Director of Impact Economy. He served as Founding Global Head and Managing Director of UBS Philanthropy Services.
12
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Entertainment
n Entertainment Desk
Theatre troupe Drishyapat is set to make the 100th staging of its acclaimed production Socrates-er Jobanbondi at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy tomorrow. Marking the occasion, the troupe has arranged a three-day festival which began yesterday. The 99th staging will be held today at the same venue. Prachyanat presented its celebrated play Gondar on the opening day. Based on Platos Defense of Socrates, Socrates-er Jobanbondi has been adapted by Shishirkumar Das mar the most. I acted opposite him in in Devdas. A great actor! I had a good friendship with Sanjeev Kumar, who was a wonderful person. And he was a good actor as well. He used to contact me every time he visited Kolkata and came to my place. I was quite close to Kanan Devi. She helped me in my bad times. During the time of my marital discord, I left home and lived at her place for some time. In men, I dont look for beauty. I look for intelligence and sharp conversations. I refused Raj Kapoors offer almost immediately. He came to my residence offering a lead role and, as I took my seat, he suddenly sat near my foot and offered me a bouquet of roses while offering the role. I rejected the offer. I did not like his personality. The way he behaved sitting near my foot did not befit a man. I refused to work with Satyajit Ray for a different reason. He wanted me to act exclusively for his film, Devi Chaudhurani. But I had two other commitments that time and I could not have refused people who made me Suchitra Sen. I assured him that I would give my best in his film, too, but he did not agree. So, I said no to Ray. Why should I agree to such a proposal? God has given me everything and I do not desire anything else. He gave me everything that I wanted. But now, I do not find interest in anything at all. Im completely indifferent about liking or disliking, getting or not getting anything. I do not care about anything written or discussed about me in the media. I dont read them at all. l
10. Ajob Tore Dekhe 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Jachchetai Brishtir Ishara Shunno Bhaago Arbovirus Hariye Jao Chirkutt Jadur Shohor Aronno Aaj Dhaner Khete Palbasha Kuhok Fuadft James Bhola Mon Elita Landphone Er Dingulote Prem Shuvo Ashbe Fire
n Entertainment Desk
As told to Amitabha Choudhury, described in his book, Aamar Bondhu Suchitra Sen, Suchitras own words have been recently published in the Times of India. Excerpts are presented here for the readers of Dhaka Tribune: Im obstinate. I never asked for help from anyone. Acting in the film Bhagaban Sri Krishna Chaitanya (1953) changed my life. I played the role of Bishnupriya. Since then, Ive been fearless. Someone drives me from within. I just love to spend time with myself. Ive never accepted any proposal for acting since I decided to retire. I spend the morning watching the sky, the trees and the flowers in the garden. In the evening I watch the
twilight sky, and I like talking to my granddaughters whenever they visit. I had a strong desire to act in the role of Damini in Rabindranath Tagores Chaturanga but it never happened. Im really fond of this novel. Of all the Tagore novels, I like this one the most. I truly loved acting in Neelachale Mahaprabhu, opposite Basanta Choudhury. I also liked acting in Harano Sur, Uttar Falguni and Saptapadi, opposite Uttam Kumar, and Saat Pakey Bandha opposite Soumitra Chatterjee. I was paired with Uttam Kumar in so many films, and yet, I told my producers to keep my name ahead of the actor in the advertisements. I had a good friendship with Uttam Kumar, a deep one. Among actors, I respect Dilip Ku-
ON TV
MOVIE
9:30pm Star Movies
Jurassic Park Argo
TODAY IN DHAKA
Film
Andhi Time: 6:30pm Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre, Gulshan-1 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Thor: The Dark World Pacific Rim in 3D Time: 10am 10pm Star Cineplex, Bashundhara City Time: 6:30pm 8:00pm Chhayanaut Auditorium, Dhanmondi
Mime
11:34pm HBO
Chitrangada
Theatre
MISC
10:30am MTV
Jump
9:30pm AXN
Top Gear
COMEDY
10:30am FX
The Simpsons
After a pause of ten years, Theatre feels to resurrect the play recently as trial of war criminals initiated and several political and religious vicious circles are trying to save them He bestows shelter to the Pakistani Army for the sake of religion and patriotism, in his point of view. The play appropriately articulates the ignorance, superstitions and misuse of religion prevailed upon in rural society. Apart from sketching the victory of Bangladesh, the play also urges the need to be free from superstition, domination and discrimination to build a secular society. Veteran actress Ferdausi Majum-
dar used to play the protagonist in Mamuns Payer Awaj Pawa Jay; in this version, Tropa Majumder enacts that role. Ferdousi did the costume design for the play, apart from acting in a significant role, and did a tremendous job as a member of the chorus. Ferdousi Majumdar, Keramat Maola, Paresh Acharya, Tropa Majumdar, Khurshid Alam, Maruf Kabir, Tofa Hossain and Atikur Rahman donned the important roles in the play. The play is countrys first production which got chance to celebrate its fiftieth staging and the play is staged more than one hundred fifteen times till today. The play also staged outside of the country in India and South Korea. l
rising of the districts against the government that rules and starves them. Throughout, the mockingjay pin Katniss wears serves as a sort of logo, and she is known to the public as their mockingjay. Lawrence, alongside Josh Hutcherson and other cast members, returns for the third of four installments in the series - which is due for release in November. l
The band Aushruto receives the MTV Chart Attack Silver Disc award on Wednesday. Creinse Limited, the official program syndication partner of Viacom International Media Networks Asia for initiating MTV Program Syndication in Bangladesh, awarded the band for their single Aulikhito Dukkho, which topped the Airtel presents MTV Chart Attack for three consecutive weeks.
After tremendous response from Season One, Dettol Shera Ami Shonge Maa embarked into its second season in search for the best mom-child pair of the country. The finale of show, sponsored by Reckitt Benckisers flagship brand Dettol, was shown recently on RTV. The winners prizes were handed over by Reazul Chowdhury, GM of RB Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Cluster and CEO of RTV Ashik Rahman. The winners, organisers, guests and jury members are captured in the photograph.
Sport
DHAKA TRIBUNE
13
0 5 1
DAYS TO GO
15 Wawrinka
CONTRACTED CRICKETERS
Shakib al Hasan, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Abdur Razzak, Mahmudullah, Rubel Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Sohag Gazi, Mominul Hoque, Robiul Islam, Anamul Hoque
Abahanis Ghanaian forward Osie Morrison ponders what went wrong after missing the side post against Team BJMC at the BNS yesterday MUMIT M
duty. I believe the time ahead assisting Mushfiq (Mushfiqur Rahim, captain) will be exciting, said Tamim. The 24-year old believes they are well prepared for the coming series and said, The two four-day games we played in BCL (Bangladesh Cricket League) have helped everyone to stay in touch. Our home ground will definitely be an advantage. If we play up to our ability, then I am sure we can cause a surprise. The BCB also named former Bangladesh fielding coach Mohammad Salah Uddin as the assistant coach of the national team for the series against Sri Lanka. The board also named 12 cricketers who received a one year contract starting from January 1. Jahurul Islam, Shafiul Islam, Elias Sunny and Abul Hasans contract were not renewed. l
We have discussed the ICCs proposal, which we did not go into any details on at the 9th January meeting but this time, we received it with details. There are some questions regarding the draft and we need to know those answers
Nazmul added that he heard about the protest against the proposed plan by the South African Board and the sports minister of Sri Lanka in the media, adding that apart from Pakistan, no country made any comment on the proposal at the last ICC meeting. Who is saying what outside the meeting and what they are thinking
is not important if they dont say anything in the meeting. I will talk to those who made this proposal and ask for more details about it and also, I have to sit with the other countries. Then we will decide what to do, but everything will depend on how the other countries reacts, said Nazmul. He also said that India, England and Australia had done their homework before presenting the proposal and that the issue will not have any effect on Bangladesh hosting the Asia Cup and the World T20. Nazmul admitted that giving any decision against the proposal will backfire for Bangladesh if the draft is approved, If we go against the proposal and it gets the go-ahead, then it will be bad for Bangladesh which we dont want. Afterwards, 20 BCB directors voted for the proposal while just three voted against it. l
Suspended cricketer Mohammad Ashraful attended the hearing of the BCB anti corruption tribunal for the first time, where he was questioned by lawyers yesterday COURTESY
Abahani forward Pushkor Khisha Mimo invades Shadharan Bima defence at the hockey stadium yesterday MUMIT M
14
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
Sunderland's Craig Gardner (L) and Adam Johnson celebrate after winning their penalty shootout against Manchester United in their English League Cup semi-final second leg match at Old Trafford on Wednesday
REUTERS
RESULT
Man United
Evans 37, Bardsley 119 Hernandez 120+1 After extra-time; 3 3 on aggregate Sunderland win 2 1 on penalties
21
Sunderland
Adam Johnson and drilled a half-volley inches over the bar from 25 yards. As Sunderland grew bolder in the second half, Moyes introduced Antonio Valencia in place of Kagawa and the Ecuadorian quickly created a chance for Januzaj, only for the teenager to slice wide. It was Sunderland who continued to force the issue, though. Only a flying
block from Alexander Buttner thwarted Johnson, while Marcos Alonso almost found the net with an audacious volley that zipped just past the post. Chris Smalling, meanwhile, was fortunate to avoid punishment when he dragged Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher down after misjudging a bouncing ball. United sustained a blow early in extra time when Michael Carrick had to go off after twisting his ankle, and they wasted a chance to increase their lead when Hernandez shot wide after Januzaj put him clean through. The game appeared up for Moyess men when goalkeeper De Gea somehow allowed a low daisy-cutter from former United player Bardsley to squirm through his grasp and into the net in the 119th minute. United were stunned, and although Januzaj then crossed for Hernandez to slam home an even more dramatic goal, the night would belong to Sunderland. l
RESULTS
Real Sociedad
Mikel Gonzalez 4, 33, Vela 62
31 14
Santander
Kone 83
Levante
El Zhar 31
Barcelona
the ball off teammate Juanfran and the ball rebounded past the helpless Javi Jimenez into the net. Barca will most likely face Real Sociedad in the last four after they beat third-tier side Racing Santander 3-1 at home in their quarter-final, first-leg. l
1. Real Madrid (Spain) 2. Barcelona (Spain) 3. Bayern Munich (Germany) 4. Man United (England) 5. Paris St Germain (France) 6. Man City (England) 7. Chelsea (England) 8. Arsenal (England) 9. Juventus (Italy) 10. AC Milan (Italy)
519m 483m 431m 424m 399m 316m 303m 284m 272m 264m
This years table also records the financial rise of Qatari-owned Paris St Germain, who have seen their earnings increase by a remarkable 81 percent, the French club rising to fifth in the standings ahead of English giants Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. l
Barcelona's forward Cristian Tello (R) celebrates his goal with teammates Sergi Roberto and Pedro Rodriguez (R) during their Spanish Copa del Rey quarterfinal first-leg match against Levante UD at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium in Valencia on Wednesday AFP
RESULTS
Chasselay LIle-Rousse Yzeure Moulins PSG
03 00 13 21 12
Monaco forward Falcao (C) is lifted away from the pitch after being injured during their French Cup match against Chasselay at the Gerland stadium in Lyon, on Wednesday AFP
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
15
Sri Lanka recall Mendis for Bangladesh Tests
n AFP, Colombo
Sri Lankas selectors on Thursday recalled unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis for two Test matches in Bangladesh starting next week after keeping him out of the recent series against Pakistan. Mendis, 28, who bowls both off-spin and leg-breaks with an unusual fingerflicking action, last played a Test during his teams home series against Bangladesh in March 2013. Mendis, with 64 wickets in 17 Tests, replaces off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake from the side that earlier this week drew against Pakistan 1-1 in the United Arab Emirates. The 15-man squad, released by Sri Lanka Cricket, does not feature batsman Lahiru Thirimanne and seamer Nuwan Kulasekara, who were both injured during the Pakistan matches. Sri Lanka, who are due to reach Bangladesh on Friday, will play two Tests, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games during the monthlong tour. l
QUICK BYTES
Southampton suspended their club record signing Dani Osvaldo for two weeks on Thursday following an incident at the clubs training ground. Southampton did not reveal what had happened but in a statement on their website (www. saintsfc.co.uk) said: The club has taken swift and proper action for what it considers a breach of the conduct expected of its players. It added it would be making no further comment. The Argentineborn Italy international striker joined Southampton for a club record fee of 15.0 million pounds ($24.88 million) from AS Roma at the start of the season but he has only scored three times in 12 appearances so far. Reuters
SQUAD
Angelo Mathews (capt), Dinesh Chandimal (vice-capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Prasanna Jayawardene, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Nuwan Pradeep, Vishwa Fernando, Ajantha Mendis.
Wawrinka of Switzerland celebrates defeating Berdych of the Czech Republic in their men's singles semi-final at the Australian Open 2014 in Melbourne yesterday
Wawrinka squeezes Set to gain from ICC overhaul, into first Slam final BCCI backs revamp plan n
AFP, Melbourne
Switzerlands Stanislas Wawrinka reached his first Grand Slam final after edging out Tomas Berdych in four tight sets at the Australian Open on Thursday. The eighth seed beat the Czech 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4) in three hours 31 minutes and will play either Rafael Nadal or fellow Swiss Roger Federer in Sundays final. Wawrinka, who upset three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals, supplants Federer as the Swiss number one by making the final. Federer has held the top Swiss ranking since 2001. Im speechless, its amazing. I am so happy to win that match to make my first final here, Wawrinka said. I am working every day to try and win matches. I didnt expect to make a final in a Grand Slam and tonight its happened, so tonight Im really happy. Wawrinka didnt lose serve and only had one break point against him as bigserving Berdych dished up seven double faults, four of them, crucially, in the third and fourth set tiebreakers. Berdychs serve was only broken once and Wawrinka shaded the Czech by just one point (143-142) throughout the whole match. It will be Wawrinkas first major final after he lost to Djokovic in five sets in the semi-finals at last years US Open. Wawrinka reaches a major final at his 36th Grand Slam appearance, and becomes only the second Swiss man behind Federer to play in a slam final. l
REUTERS
n Agencies
Set to benefit immensely from the structural overhaul of the ICC, the BCCI on Thursday unanimously backed the plan which would cede executive decision-making in world cricket to India, Australia and England. In an emergent meeting, the Indian board reviewed the proposals of the ICC Commercial Rights Working Group, which have created quite a flutter in international cricket. The committee discussed at length the proposals of the ICC Working Group and felt that this proposal was in the interest of cricket at large, BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement after the meeting.
Big-spending Premier League giants Manchester City have acquired struggling Australian A League side Melbourne Heart, Football Federation Australia (FFA) announced Thursday. City, owned by Abu Dhabi billionaire Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, have big plans for the Melbourne outfit which languishes at the bottom of the A League table. The new owners, who include a consortium led by City that features the ownership group of the Melbourne Storm rugby league team, paid about Aus$11 million (US$9.7 million), Australian Associated Press reported. AFP
The meeting was chaired by board vice-president Shivlal Yadav after president N Srinivasan had to skip it because of his mothers death this morning. The BCCI unanimously agreed to approve the proposal of the Working Group of the ICCs Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee in which the Indian board, Cricket Australia and England and Wales Cricket Board are key members. The BCCI also authorised its officebearers to discuss bilateral matches with other Full Members (including Pakistan) and sign formal Future Tours Programme agreements. In the lead-up to negotiations for the next ICC commercial rights cycle
covering the period from 2015 to 2023 India apparently wants its share of the global games money to reflect the proportion of revenue the country generates. The planned overhaul of the ICC would also see a new executive committee formed by India, England and Australia that would decide most of the key issues in cricket, and a relegation system, from which they would be protected. Other changes would include a twotier system for Test cricket in which India, Australia and England would be exempt from relegation and removal of control over scheduling from the ICC to allow countries to essentially pick and choose who they play. l
DAYS WATCH
Sony Six NBA 2013 14 7:00AM Miami v LA Lakers 9:30AM Portland v Denver Star Sports HD1 9:30AM Australia v England 3rd ODI 2:00AM La Liga Celta Vigo v Real Betis Star Sports 4 10:00AM & 2:30AM Australian Open 1:45AM FA Cup 2013/14 Arsenal v Coventry City Ten Golf 03:30PM European Tour 2014 Qatar Masters, Day 3 Ten HD 10:00PM Ram Slam T20 Challenge Lions v Knights Ten Action 1:30AM French Ligue 1 2013/14 Lille v Stade Rennais
Li Na of China hits a return to Eugenie Bouchard of Canada during their women's singles semi-final match at the Australian Open 2014 in Melbourne yesterday REUTERS
Mullar (R) of North South University receives the man of the match award for his performance against NUB in the 7th ULAB Fair Play Cup yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE
16
HC cancels Tk40cr fine for Giasuddin Al Mamun n Nazmus Sakib
TARIQUE RAHMANS MONEY LAUNDERING CASE
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Back Page
ACC okays charges against 8 former Biman men n Syed Samiul Basher Anik
The Anti-Corruption Commission has approved filing charges against eight former officials of Biman Bangladesh Limited of who have been accused of misappropriating Tk1.49 crore government money through fake brochures, an official said. The officials who will face charges are Biman Bangladesh Limited former accounts managers (suspended) Harun-ur-Rashid and M Golam Mostafa, former managers (retired) Mohammad Jinnah and Abdul Malek, former assistant manager Nur Mohammad, cash and banking department former accounts manager (suspended) MAST Chowdhury, former accounts officer (retired) Mir Azizur Rahman and former assistant manager (accounts) MA Rob. ACC sources said the accused people, in collusion with each other, had embezzled Tk3.24 crore of government money between December, 2000 and October, 2005 through 1,013 fake brochures. ACC Deputy Director Benzir Ahmed on September 5, 2010 filed five cases against 10 Biman officials with the Airport police station. So far the ACC has filed charge sheets in two of the cases with a court. The charges will be pressed under several sections of the penal code and section 5 (2) of Corruption Prevention Act 1947 with a court soon. l
BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahmans close business associate Giasuddin-Al-Mamun has been acquitted from the Tk40crore fine awarded for complicity in a money laundering case. The High Court bench of Justice Md Rais Uddin yesterday withdrew the fine charged against Mamun after hearing his appeal against a lower courts verdict. On November 17 last year, a lower court acquitted Rahman of money laundering charges, however, sentenced Mamun seven years imprisonment and fined Tk40crore for involvement in the case. The High Court bench led by Justice Nizamul Huq ordered BNP chief Khaleda Zias elder son Tarique Rahman to surrender before the trial court on January 19. Yesterday Barrister Rafique-Ul Huq argued on behalf of Mamun while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam represented the state and Supreme Court lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan represented the Anti-Corruption Commission. l
A woman scans through clothes in a stall at the Dhaka International Trade Fair at Shere-e-Bangla Nagar in the city yesterday
Kalpita: I think Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has forgotten the incident as she has formed the government thrice but the trial is yet to be finished
Police opened fire on agitating people as they proceeded in a procession to attend a rally on Laldighi Maidan. An eye-witness advocate Ibrahim Hossain Babul, joint secretary of the city unit of the Awami League, said Shiekh Hasina was scheduled to attend the rally after a meeting with lawyers in court building in the port city. Advocate Shahidul Huda lodged a case with the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate under section 302/34 under Criminal Procedure Code in 1993 after five years of the incident. Assistant Superintendent of Police Hafiz Uddin of Criminal Investigation Department in Chittagong zone submitted the charge sheet before the court on December 12, 1997 based on the investigation report given by another CID ASP Kader Khan, first investigation officer of the case. The court framed charges on May 9, 2000 against then commissioner Mirza Raqibul Huda of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, constables Pradip Barua, Momtaz Uddin, Mostafizur Rahman, Shah Abdullah, Gobinda Chandra Mondol, Bashiruddin and Abdus Salam. The case is under trial at the Metro-
Former whip Wahab absent during PMs visit to Malopara n Emran Hossain Shaikh, Jessore
Former MP and whip Sheikh Abdul Wahab was not present while the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited the violence-torn area of Malopara in Abaynogor upazila of Jessore district yesterday. Local MPs of several constituencies including, Ranjit Kumar Ray, Kazi Nabil Ahmed and leaders of local AL were present during the visit. Wahab was not present at the time of rally while the president of the district AL presided over the function. Several leaders of Abhoynogoy upazila and Jessore district unit AL told the Dhaka Tribune that Abdul Wahab was not allowed in the law enforcement agencies meeting on the occasion of Premiers visit.
Wahab was accused of having encouraged attacks on Hindu minority communities on January 5, in the 10th parliamentary elections
The meeting arranged by the district administration was held in Abhoynogor upazila headquarters. Wahab was invited to the meeting. Local AL leaders said Wahab went to the meeting venue but he was turned back. Wahab, also the president of Abhoynogor upazila Awami League was accused of having encouraged attacks on Hindu minority communities on January 5, in the 10th parliamentary elections. He was an independent candidate as AL did not nominate him. l
Cattle graze in Muhuri Char, Feni. Indian authorities recently handed over the 110-acre land by the Muhuri River to Bangladesh after 40 years of a land boundary agreement between the two countries DHAKA TRIBUNE
Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093 94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com
Business
Advanced economies
B3 Independent luxury
Connection of electricity and gas supplies in the industries would be given priority
While meeting with industries minister, MCCI leaders put stress on the uninterrupted electricity and gas supplies to the factories. The chamber praised government for including the construction of deep sea port on its priority list. It also reiterated the demand of a political unrest-free environment for the business and economy. Strengthening of macroeconomic situation, improvement of investment situation, allowing businessmen to invest in foreign countries and improving the countrys image in abroad also got focus. Amir Hossain Amu assured the industrialist that connection of electricity and gas supplies in the industries would be given priority. He said the government would work to create an industry-friendly environment to expand industrialisation. l
there were cases of money laundering in the name of imports. The efforts, however, made hardly any progress after collecting some primary data that raised suspicion over possibilities of money laundering, an executive told Dhaka Tribune, on condition of anonymity. In case of increased food import, an executive said, it increased last year as the government could not procure cereals from the domestic market as per target.
According to settlement of letter of credit (LCs), rice import rose 729% during July-November period of last year as compared to same period of previous year while wheat increased 81% and Onion 85% as the major items of food. The December 2013 imports registered 5.28% growth to $3bn from November 2013 and grew 20% from the same month last year. In November, import registered about 3% higher to $2.89bn.
Import of rice declined to $12.41m in December from $16m in November. Import increased, but it is not significant. We need investment environment for substantial growth in import, said former Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Saleh Uddin Ahmed. We have enough foreign exchange reserve. So, we have to keep attention on import growth. GDP growth and employment generation will be hampered if capital machinery imports do not increase. l
MAHMUD OPU
'Being a regulator how can BTRC go ahead with such a recommendation with a yearly loss of Tk1,100 crore from incoming international telephone calls generated by IGW companies?'
Gateways (IGW), however, owe Tk1,200 crore to Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC), which is a great loss for the government. The regulator gives such opportunities to 7-8 IGWs to pile up their outstanding dues, which already raised questions as the governments image is now at stake following such acts committed by a state-run commission, they alleged.
Earlier, VSPA leaders had also alleged that some high officials of the BTRC, who are supposed to protect the interest of the government, have played the role of predators in collaboration with some corrupt businessmen. Some of the officials, who are working for BTRC for quite a long time, are now busy for their own interests, sacrificing the interest of the government, they said. l
The legendary workhorse will make some fanfare flights in the skies of Birmingham for the following three days too as it flies nine scenic tour flights
With the advent of 4th generation Boeing 777s, the DC 10s began phasing out gradually from the fleet and the last one, S2 ACR makes the final passenger flight on 20 February.
B2
Recent stock price movement of Rupali Bank (in Taka)
80 78 76
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Stock
DSE GAINERS Company
Closing (% change) 10.00 9.78 9.67 8.66 8.49 8.33 8.20 7.81 7.29
74 72 70 68 66 64
30-12-13 06-01-14 08-01-14 13-01-14 15-01-14 16-01-14 02-01-14 07-01-14 09-01-14 19-01-14 23-12-13 24-12-13 26-12-13 29-12-13 01-12-13 12-01-14 20-01-14 21-01-14 22-01-14 23-01-14
Rupali Bank - A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Samorita Hospital -A Monno Stafllers -A ICB AMCL IslamicMF A Prime Bank 1st MF A DBH 1st MF A ICB Emp. PMF A Islamic Finance-A
IFIC 1st MF A
7.14
Average (% change) 10.45 9.71 6.93 6.03 4.22 3.99 6.86 9.34 5.28
Closing average 77.91 62.68 99.51 323.13 22.25 6.25 6.54 6.91 20.32
Closing 78.10 64.00 102.10 330.10 23.00 6.50 6.60 6.90 20.60
Daily high 78.10 64.10 102.40 330.30 23.20 6.60 6.70 7.00 20.70
Daily low 70.00 59.40 95.10 307.00 21.00 6.00 6.10 6.40 17.30
Turnover in million 33.014 60.047 19.952 1.551 7.330 8.262 19.544 7.307 38.904
Latest EPS 5.89 8.29 2.24 5.25 4.16 0.76 0.66 0.64 0.87
Latest PE 13.2 7.6 44.4 61.5 5.3 8.2 9.9 10.8 23.4
Closing Price
4.69
7.37
7.50
7.60
6.50
21.375
0.52
14.2
CSE GAINERS Company IFIC 1st MF A DBH 1st MF A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Samorita Hospital -A ICB AMCL 2nd NRB -A Rupali Bank - A ICB Emp. PMF A 1st Janata Bank MF A Islamic Finance-A AMCL 2nd MF A Closing (% change) 10.00 9.84 9.81 9.53 9.43 9.38 9.38 9.23 8.42 7.94
Date
Average (% change) 6.52 7.18 10.85 7.57 7.42 9.50 7.72 7.31 5.42 7.00
Closing average 7.52 6.57 63.13 101.47 11.44 77.01 6.84 6.90 20.23 6.73
Closing 7.70 6.70 63.80 103.40 11.60 77.00 7.00 7.10 20.60 6.80
Daily high 7.70 6.70 63.90 98.50 11.60 77.40 7.00 7.10 20.80 6.90
Daily low 7.00 6.30 60.00 101.00 11.10 75.00 6.40 6.60 19.30 6.60
Turnover in million 1.101 1.723 2.715 0.741 0.320 0.963 0.732 1.612 9.052 0.199
Latest EPS 0.52 0.66 8.29 2.24 2.00 5.89 0.64 0.80 0.87 1.04
Latest PE 14.5 10.0 7.6 45.3 5.7 13.1 10.7 8.6 23.3 6.5
THU
23-Jan
Daily high 14.20 8.50 9.90 119.00 235.00 8.90 92.40 25.00 115.00
Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis) Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis) Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.) Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)
Daily low 12.90 8.10 9.00 104.00 215.00 8.50 86.00 22.20 106.00 Turnover in million 1.849 0.543 0.243 59.216 36.748 0.025 14.833 11.071 26.230 Latest EPS -4.60 -0.52 -2.20 2.26 2.38 -45.28 2.39 0.12 4.60
Closing average 13.11 8.17 9.53 111.54 225.12 8.62 90.87 24.01 110.04
Closing 12.90 8.10 9.30 107.20 219.10 8.60 88.70 23.60 109.40
Latest PE -ve -ve -ve 49.4 94.6 -ve 38.0 200.1 23.9
5%
Progressive Life-A
CSE LOSERS Company Miracle Industries -B GreenDeltaInsu -A Apex Foods -A Alltex Industries -Z Rupali Life Insur.-A Sandhani Life -A Nitol Insurance -A Eastern Cables-Z PragatiLife Insu. -A
-3.60
-3.68
Average (% change) -6.88 -5.20 -3.88 -3.77 -3.69 -3.65 -3.90 -6.31 -4.08
145.48
144.50
148.00
140.00
3.075
2.30
63.3
0%
03
05
07
09
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
31
02
04
06
08
10
12
14
16
18
20
Closing (% change) -5.71 -5.25 -5.12 -4.44 -4.36 -3.87 -3.83 -3.40 -3.23
Closing average 23.55 95.68 112.58 8.68 97.14 90.39 35.20 99.50 225.00
Closing 23.10 95.60 111.10 8.60 96.50 89.50 35.20 99.50 225.00
Daily high 24.00 97.00 115.00 9.00 98.90 92.50 35.20 97.00 225.00
Daily low 23.00 94.00 110.00 8.60 96.50 88.00 35.20 102.00 225.00
Turnover in million 1.498 0.077 0.737 0.339 1.069 0.849 0.035 0.020 0.113
Latest EPS 0.12 5.34 3.96 -1.56 5.33 2.39 2.75 1.40 2.38
Latest PE 196.3 17.9 28.4 -ve 18.2 37.8 12.8 71.1 94.5
- 5%
- 10%
- 15%
DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LankaBangla Fin. -A Padma Oil Co. -A Square Pharma -A Olympic Ind. -A Meghna Petroleum -A UCBL - A
Grameenphone-A
-3.02
-5.16
141.95
144.30
147.50
140.00
0.752
6.45
22.0
ANALYST
SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY
Sector Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture
Investors confidence grew even stronger and kept on supporting the market in this uptrend
CSE Total
DSE Million Taka 797.25 1037.86 470.59 1002.35 235.52 1212.66 1.98 822.17 857.68 1.02 49.45 136.94 43.17 498.86 96.90 222.29 323.34 212.67 172.02 140.21 1.17
% change 9.56 12.45 5.65 12.02 2.83 14.55 0.02 9.86 10.29 0.01 0.59 1.64 0.52 5.98 1.16 2.67 3.88 2.55 2.06 1.68 0.01
Million Taka 96.04 89.99 37.58 83.54 20.59 62.46 89.99 56.05 0.53 4.02 7.27 6.46 31.98 13.34 13.98 14.60 18.76 21.59 26.84 0.21
% change 13.80 12.93 5.40 12.01 2.96 8.98 0.00 12.93 8.06 0.08 0.58 1.04 0.93 4.60 1.92 2.01 2.10 2.70 3.10 3.86 0.03
Million Taka 893.29 1127.84 508.17 1085.89 256.12 1275.11 1.98 912.16 913.74 1.54 53.46 144.21 49.63 530.84 110.24 236.26 337.94 231.43 193.61 167.05 1.38
% change 9.89 12.49 5.63 12.02 2.84 14.12 0.02 10.10 10.12 0.02 0.59 1.60 0.55 5.88 1.22 2.62 3.74 2.56 2.14 1.85 0.02
Active Fine Chem.-A Titas Gas TDCLA UNITED AIR A Appollo Ispat CL -N Orion Pharma-N Jamuna Oil -A Delta Life Insu. -A Bengal Windsor-N HeidelbergCement -A
1,411,875 1,706,052 8,014,053 3,208,200 1,708,020 476,730 373,850 1,413,800 211,160 2,604,960
Volume shares 3,783,545 774,597 1,027,549 1,330,437 769,384 5,781,209 778,514 1,081,276 2,095,120 3,530,100
Value in million 301.08 273.92 242.16 230.02 200.59 172.86 163.87 158.18 157.72 147.28
146.43 142.86 139.95 118.39 112.23 104.50 100.85 99.23 94.32 94.31
% of total turnover 3.61 3.29 2.91 2.76 2.41 2.07 1.97 1.90 1.89 1.77
1.76 1.71 1.68 1.42 1.35 1.25 1.21 1.19 1.13 1.13
Daily closing 80.90 355.10 235.90 173.00 260.60 30.20 212.10 147.40 75.90 42.00
103.00 84.30 17.40 36.80 66.00 218.90 268.10 69.30 445.70 35.80
Price change 4.52 2.45 2.88 0.23 0.23 4.14 1.63 4.24 2.43 4.22
0.49 3.95 -1.14 -0.54 0.92 0.51 -1.43 -1.98 0.47 -0.83
Daily opening 77.40 346.60 229.30 172.60 260.00 29.00 208.70 141.40 74.10 40.30
102.50 81.10 17.60 37.00 65.40 217.80 272.00 70.70 443.60 36.10
105.50 85.00 19.00 37.60 66.20 221.60 274.90 71.80 452.30 36.80
Daily high 82.90 358.00 240.00 175.40 264.80 30.50 213.00 148.30 76.40 42.30
95.00 73.00 15.90 36.60 59.00 215.00 267.80 65.00 439.00 33.00
Daily low 70.00 340.00 220.00 164.00 250.00 26.10 205.00 140.00 68.00 40.00
CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company UCBL - A Mozaffar H.Spinning-N Appollo Ispat CL -N UNITED AIR A LankaBangla Fin. -A Padma Oil Co. -A LafargeS Cement-Z Grameenphone-A
Square Pharma -A
Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net
BSC A Orion Pharma-N BEXIMCO Ltd. -A People`s Leasing-A Summit Purbanchol Power-N aamra technologies-A Paramount Textile Ltd.-A Active Fine Chem.-A Maksons Spinning-A City Bank - A
Bengal Windsor-N
Volume shares 1,066,839 608,000 637,600 1,028,424 199,932 41,760 353,500 62,800 52,288 170,600
24,835 175,720 299,973 359,330 130,730 257,600 184,670 92,436 477,911 450,588
Value in million 31.91 24.99 23.59 18.00 15.97 14.76 14.70 13.24 12.32 12.01
11.69 11.54 10.65 9.98 9.85 9.75 9.67 9.59 9.50 9.14
% of total turnover 4.59 3.60 3.39 2.59 2.30 2.12 2.11 1.91 1.77 1.73
1.68 1.66 1.53 1.44 1.42 1.40 1.39 1.38 1.37 1.32
Daily closing 30.30 41.30 36.90 17.50 81.30 355.50 42.20 212.00 234.70 70.00
469.30 66.00 35.60 28.00 75.90 37.90 52.20 103.70 19.90 20.20
Price change 4.12 -1.90 -0.54 -0.57 4.50 2.69 4.71 1.34 2.18 -1.41
-1.10 0.46 -0.28 1.82 2.29 2.71 -1.69 1.07 -1.49 0.00
Daily opening 29.10 42.10 37.10 17.60 77.80 346.20 40.30 209.20 229.70 71.00
474.50 65.70 35.70 27.50 74.20 36.90 53.10 102.60 20.20 20.20
477.00 66.20 35.80 28.20 76.30 38.50 54.00 105.50 20.50 20.70
Daily high 30.50 42.90 37.60 17.80 81.60 357.40 42.40 213.00 238.80 71.50
465.00 65.00 35.20 25.00 74.10 36.90 52.00 100.20 19.50 19.90
Daily low 29.20 40.20 36.80 17.40 77.10 348.30 40.00 209.00 230.00 69.00
22
Daily average 79.58 353.63 235.67 172.89 260.72 29.90 210.49 146.29 75.28 41.72
103.71 83.74 17.46 36.90 65.71 219.20 269.77 70.18 446.67 36.20
Daily average 29.91 41.11 37.00 17.50 79.87 353.46 41.58 210.89 235.70 70.42
470.54 65.69 35.50 27.78 75.35 37.84 52.38 103.73 19.89 20.30
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Business
B3
Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi calls for gold import duty cut
n Reuters
Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi has written to the government, to ask for a cut in the record import duty on gold and for other restrictions to be eased, television channel CNBC Awaaz said citing sources that it did not identify. The coalition government, led by Congress, is considering easing restrictions, which include a 10% import duty and a rule that says 20% of all imports must leave the country as exports, government sources told Reuters earlier this month. India used to be the worlds biggest buyer of bullion until the government introduced the curbs in order to contain a record current account deficit. l
Markets could gain more momentum amid a slightly heavier data slate scheduled for today, with eurozone PMI (purchasing managers index) set to improve further while US existing home sales growth will stabilise after three months of declining sales
The greenback bought 104.35 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade, down from 104.54 yen in New York Wednesday, while the euro inched higher on the dollar at $1.3546 from $1.3544. The European single currency fetched 141.32 yen, from 141.59 yen in US trade. Markets could gain more momentum amid a slightly heavier data slate scheduled for today, with eurozone PMI (purchasing managers index) set to improve further while US existing home sales growth will stabilise after three months of declining sales, Credit Agricole said. Investors are keeping a close eye
A visitor looks at watches at the Parmigiani booth during the opening day of the ''Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie'' at Palexpo in Geneva REUTERS brand, said last week that its sales in China were still in negative territory in the three months to December, while Swatch Group was more optimistic, saying its Omega brand was about to recover in China. Vacheron Constantins CEO, Juan-Carlos Torres, said many watchmakers took buoyant Chinese growth for granted. You have to go slowly in China and work for the long term. We did not only go to first-tier cities, but also to second- and third-tier cities with local retail partners, Torres said, adding this would help the brand grow sales in China this year. Watchmakers said the second biggest market for Swiss watches, the United States, should see a tepid recovery gather momentum this year. Exports rose 2.4% between January and November last year. Jasmine Audemars, chairwoman of Audemars Piguet, the biggest independent watchmaker at the fair, said the brand was doing well in the US market and things should get better. Parmigianis Jacot said: The United States (is) coming back, this year well see the real rebound. Overall, Audemars Piguet is expecting single-digit growth this year, while Parmigiani expects to grow about 15% after 17% last year. Richard Mille, another high-end player, is aiming for 150m Swiss francs ($165m) in 2014 sales after 132 million in 2013. l
Managing Director and CEO of Pubali Bank Ltd Helal Ahmed Chowdhury poses for photograph along with newly promoted assistant general managers. Pubali Bank promoted 59 senior principal officers to assistant general manager as recognition for their outstanding performance
Deputy Managing Director of Social Islami Bank Limited (SIBL) A M M Farhad handing over a cheque of donation to Dr Edric Baker, Medical Officer and In-charge of Kailakuri Health Care Project for construction of Chechua Diabetes Sub Centre at Mymensingh
B4
n Reuters
Multinational companies are becoming more picky about emerging market investments as slowing growth in upstart economies and a recovery in the West takes the shine off a previous sure-fire strategic bet. Executives in Davos said they remained committed to tapping into rising middle classes from Shanghai to Lagos, but some are pulling back and redeploying resources in particularly difficult, low-margin regions. It was a gold rush. Now the gold rush is over, said Jeff Joerres, chief executive of staffing company Manpower Group, whose clients include many top international firms. "In the past, regardless of industry and regardless of product, you just ran to those emerging markets because there was an arbitrage opportunity. Now there's a much more sanguine decision-making process." The new mood follows a marked shift in the balance between the world's main engines of economic growth that will see developed economies, led by the United States, regaining their role as the central driver of global output in 2014. Emerging markets will still grow at a faster clip than developed markets this year but the difference in growth rates will be the lowest since 2002. The World Bank last week raised its forecast for global growth for the first time in three years, to 3.2% in 2014 from 2.4% in 2013. But it cut forecasts for developing countries to 5.3% for 2014, from 5.6% predicted in June.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Business
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Midlife crisis?
Mega-cities
The balance between emerging and developed economies is a central topic at this week's World Economic Forum annual meeting in the Swiss Alps, as highlighted by a session on Thursday entitled "BRICS in Midlife Crisis?" Growth rates for Brazil, Russia, India and China are half their prefinancial crisis levels - and companies are taking a hard look at alternatives beyond the "big four". The Middle East and Indonesia were highlighted as hot-spots for online growth by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, while Marriott International boss Arne Sorenson said his group was opening a new hotel in Rwanda.
In a few cases, companies are heading for the exit or scrapping certain product lines in some emerging markets. Cosmetics maker Revlon said at the end of December it would leave China, where sales have been falling, and French rival L'Oreal has stopped selling its Garnier beauty products in the country. In India, too, difficult market conditions have prompted frustrated foreign companies in sectors ranging from telecoms to retail to curb their ambitions. The majority of firms, however, view current weakness in emerging markets as a strategic hazard that will not seriously derail planning
n Reuters
Efforts by India and Pakistan to increase trade and ease tension in disputed Kashmir have suffered a blow with police saying they had seized more than 100 kg (220 lb) of heroin concealed in a truck full of nuts coming from the Pakistan side. Pakistan halted cross-border trade and bus travel across the Himalayan region after the seizure last week, and on Tuesday New Delhi summoned Pakistan's acting envoy in protest. The two nuclear-armed countries have fought two wars over Kashmir but had sought to ease access and commerce in a region at the heart of more than 60 years of hostility. The spat, which comes after the two sides agreed on Saturday to allow round-the-clock movement of trucks and containers through their main border crossing further south in Punjab, underlines the fragility of the peace process. "It is indeed surprising that Pakistan chose to hold hostage trans-LoC trade and travel bringing immense humanitarian benefits to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, for the sake of persons indulging in drug trafficking," Foreign Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said, referring to the Line of Control dividing Kashmir. Both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif, who took power last year, are keen to rebuild ties and diplomats say closer integration of Pakistan with India's giant economy could lay the ground for improving political relations. The latest row erupted on Friday when police impounded a truck coming from Chakoti on the Pakistan side of Kashmir and arrested its driver saying they had found 114 packets of heroin concealed in a cargo of almonds. Deputy Police Inspector General J P Singh said the seizure was the largest contraband haul since cross-border trade began across the heavily militarised Line of Control in 2008, and estimated that it could be worth 1bn rupees on the international market. l
n Reuters
Workers in wealthy Singapore are the unhappiest in Asia and nearly two-thirds would like to quit their jobs in the next year, a regional survey by recruiting firm Randstad Group showed yesterday.
Indian workers were the happiest in Asia, with about 70% feeling challenged, motivated and mentored, according to the survey by the Netherlands-based firm of 14,000 employers and professionals in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, India, Japan, Australiaand New Zealand
Tiny Singapore, a banking and trade centre with world-class amenities and high per capita income, has seen unprecedented public discontent in recent years over the rising cost of living and competition from foreign workers. Randstads World of Work Report showed that 23% of Singaporean workers felt unmotivated and that their skills were not being used effectively, while 64% planned to leave their jobs in the next 12 months. The top reasons for dissatisfaction were an unsuitable corporate culture, difficult bosses and being asked to do more with less. Indian workers were the happiest in Asia, with about 70% feeling challenged, motivated and mentored, according to the survey by the Netherlands-based firm of
A technician checks the light in the Congress Hall before the start of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2014 in Davos REUTERS
14,000 employers and professionals in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, India, Japan, Australiaand New Zealand. Singaporeans were now putting more emphasis on work/life balance, as shown by the 50% who ranked it as one of the main reasons to stay with a company, up from 15% in a 2012 survey. But 55% of employers acknowledged their performance in creating flexible working options was average or poor. At 71%, the majority of employers also said that managing a workforce of various ages was one of the biggest challenges. There is no magic equation for retention but having career development opportunities readily available is a great start, Michael Smith, the country director of Randstad Singapore, said in a statement. The survey showed Singaporeans were motivated by knowing their contributions matter, but that salary expectations were also important. About 59% of Singaporeans had a pay increase in the last year and 67% expected a raise of at least 5% over the next year. Singapores long-ruling government, its popular vote hit in elections by the public anger, has sought to rein in living costs and tighten the labour market for foreigners. The steps include raising the minimum salary for foreigners seeking an employment pass to S$3,300 ($2,600) per month and obliging employers to advertise job vacancies to Singaporeans for 14 days before an overseas worker can be hired. l